On April 21st, a report that was leaked on Mashaal Radio confirmed that ISIS and the Taliban had declared Jihad, a war or struggle against unbelievers, on each other. The police chief of Helmand province stated that he received documents from both groups confirming Jihad on one another as well.
Abdu Bakar Al-Baghdadi, the leader of ISIS, called Mullah Mohammad, the Taliban leader, “a fool and illiterate warlord”. The tensions between the two groups have always been high and fighting between them has happened before. However, this new declaration of Jihad escalates the conflict to a new level. ISIS feels like the Taliban is weak and do not share the same visions of an Islamic state.
Fighting has broken out between the groups and the most recent attack, a suicide bombing in Jalalabad, Afghanistan, killed 33 people and wounded 100 more. Many also believe that the fighting is also about ISIS capturing the opium farms in the Helmand province to cut off income to the Taliban and gain major revenue income. It will be an interesting and bloody outcome to see which Middle Eastern terrorist organization comes out on top.